Safety tips for tourists

Central Florida has a well-deserved reputation for being one of the world's premier tourist destinations. In addition to being home for popular theme parks and resorts, Orange County is an easy drive to the Kennedy Space Center, some of the finest beaches in the United States, and some major sports venues like the Daytona International Speedway. Orange County's tourist corridor is one of the safest tourist destinations in the country, but regardless of where you go to enjoy your leisure time, vacationers should never leave home without packing a little common sense. The same rules that keep you safe and secure in your hometowns should apply wherever you go. With that in mind we would like to offer you some basic tourist safety tips to help insure your vacations are safe and memorable wherever you happen to be. Download Ticket Seller Brochure.

T.O.P.S

The Orange County Sheriff's Office Tourist Policing Sector

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office is one of the largest Law Enforcement agencies in the United States with over 1400 sworn deputies and over 800 support personnel.

The Tourist Oriented Policing Sectors (T.O.P.S.) is divided into two separate fully operational patrol sectors. Sector V covers the world famous International Drive area commonly known as “I-Drive” as well as the Downtown Orange County, Lake Buena Vista and parts of S.R. 192 areas. In addition the Orange County Convention Center, the second largest in North America is located in Sector V. The T.O.P.S. unit has a team of deputies assigned on a full time basis to the O.C.C.C. Sector VI covers all of the Walt Disney theme parks and hotels. Both sectors also have their own team of Detectives and a Crime Prevention Deputy assigned with specific training, knowledge and certifications in the Tourist Policing field. In addition, the Orange County Convention Center, is the second largest convention hosting facility in North America.

The T.O.P.S. unit also utilizes other agency resources for maximum visibility and to ensure the safety of guests. This includes our Bicycle Patrols, Mounted Units, Motor Units, Marine Patrol and Aviation/Air Support.

If you see one of our deputies while visiting the resort areas, please feel free to ask for any assistance you may need or just to say “hello.” You will find the deputies are more than happy to assist and even happy to pose for a photo with you or even take a group photo for you. This is why we are here not only to ensure a safe travel destination, but also to “MAKE A DIFFERENCE.”

Basic safety tips for travelers to Central Florida

In addition to being one of the most popular places to holiday, Orange County Florida is regarded as being one of the safest tourist destinations in the world. We have found that most crime victims often, without even realizing they have done so, often provide an opportunity for criminals to strike

When you travel by car:

Orlando, Florida is one of the easiest destinations to reach by car. We are are at the cross roads of Interstate 4 and the Florida Turnpike. We also have a modern and growing expressway system that makes getting around the area easy! As is the case in most metropolitan areas we do suggest that you avoid our roadways during rush hour!

The same rules you would use at home to avoid becoming a crime victim apply here. Avoiding certain areas, keeping track of your cash and credit cards, and dealing with businesses you know and trust are some basic tourist safety tips. We like to say... "Common sense, don't leave home without it!"

Florida has more lakes, coastline, swimming pools and beaches than just about anywhere in the world. With that simple thought in mind we offer you some basic tips to help make your visit to our many water attractions safe and enjoyable. And we can't say this enough... whenever you are around water, please watch your children.

Leave the unsupervised close encounters with Florida wildlife to the experts. Simply put, alligators, some snakes, and those friendly looking black bears can develop a bad attitude before you can say Crockadile Dundee!

You know why you are coming here... whether it's to swim with a dolphin, catch a glimpse of that famous mouse, or visit the people who make the movies, Central Florida has theme parks, and they are the best in the world!